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Description:

For years, the government has tried to deal with drugs in the United States. Unfortunately, many historians agree that the War on Drugs was great in theory...but a failure in reality. Now, states are taking a new approach to drugs: if we legalize it and tax it, will that solve the problem? What say you, Shmoopers?

Language:
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Transcript

00:08

War on Drugs, from Shmoop

00:11

This is what cocaine can do to a house. This is what heroin can do to a face.

00:16

This is what marijuana can do to a car.

00:20

Regardless of what you hear in the movies, drugs are a real problem in America,

00:23

and an even bigger problem to solve.

00:25

This is what happens to innocent people when drug addicts get behind the wheel of a car.

00:29

Or use a gun to steal money for drugs.

00:32

Or tear a family apart.

00:33

So we can't do "nothing." Innocent people deserve more than "nothing."

00:38

The government has been trying to figure out what's better than nothing for years.

00:42

They've waged a three trillion dollar war.

00:44

Richard Nixon labeled drugs as "public enemy number one"

00:49

Nixon thought that the problem was drugs coming from Mexico.

00:52

So he ordered all traffic at the border to be invasively searched.

00:56

This practice violated a few civil liberties

01:01

And created a foreign policy nightmare with our friends south of the border,

01:04

So this approach was, more or less, a failure. Then Nixon focused on treatment for addicts,

01:10

Unfortunately drug use continued to rise. Then the Reagans came along,

01:14

And Nancy said the solution to drugs was -

01:17

"Just Say No." Easy. Piece o' cake.

01:20

For some reason, this technique didn't solve the problem...

01:23

Ronald Reagan created a law that made prison mandatory for anyone caught selling drugs.

01:27

The result?

01:29

Lots of dealers in jail.

01:30

Yet still lots of drugs on the Street.

01:33

Have we tried everything?

01:34

Is this a social problem?

01:36

Are we too uptight?

01:37

What do you think we should do?

01:39

What if we legalize drugs and then tax them?

01:41

Would this... "fix things?"

01:43

Nothing.

01:44

Doing "Nothing" is not an option.

01:47

Shmoop amongst yourselves.

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